Method for encoding and decoding video information, a motion compensated video encoder and a coresponding decoder

Abstract

A method for encoding video information is presented, where a piece of current video information is segmented into macroblocks and a certain number of available macroblock segmentations for segmenting a macroblock into blocks is defined. Furthermore, for each available macroblock segmentation at least one available prediction method is defined, each of which prediction methods produces prediction motion coefficients for blocks within said macroblock resulting in a certain finite number of available macroblock-segmentation—prediction-method pairs. For a macroblock, one of the available macroblock-segmentation—prediction-method pairs is selected, and thereafter the macroblock is segmented into blocks and prediction motion coefficients for the blocks within said macroblock are produced using the selected macroblock-segmentation—prediction-method pair. A corresponding decoding method, an encoder and a decoder are also presented.

1 . A method for encoding video information, comprising the steps of: 
 segmenting a piece, of current video information into macroblocks,    defining a certain number of available macroblock segmentations for segmenting a macroblock into blocks,    defining for each available macroblock segmentation at least one available prediction method, each of which prediction methods produces prediction motion coefficients for blocks within said macroblock, resulting in a certain finite number of available macroblock-segmentation—prediction-method pairs,    selecting for a macroblock one of the available macroblock-segmentation—prediction-method pairs, and    segmenting the macroblock into blocks and producing prediction motion coefficients for the blocks within said macroblock using the selected macroblock-segmentation—prediction-method pair.